The Treaty of Tarawa formally transferred U.S. sovereignty over fourteen Pacific islands to Kiribati and ended the long-standing Canton and Enderbury Islands Condominium.
Key Facts
- Treaty signed
- September 20, 1979
- Islands ceded to Kiribati
- 14 islands
- U.S. Senate approval
- June 21, 1983
- Treaty entered into force
- September 23, 1983
- Ratification exchange location
- Suva, Fiji
- U.S. military base rights reserved
- Canton, Enderbury, and Hull Islands
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Upon Kiribati's independence in 1979, questions of territorial sovereignty over fourteen Pacific islands previously under U.S. jurisdiction required resolution. The Canton and Enderbury Islands had been jointly administered by the U.S. and Britain as a condominium under the Guano Islands Act, creating competing claims that independence brought to a head.
On September 20, 1979, representatives of the United States and the newly independent Republic of Kiribati met in Tarawa to sign the Treaty of Friendship and Territorial Sovereignty. The U.S. formally acknowledged Kiribati sovereignty over fourteen islands, while retaining the right to maintain military bases on Canton, Enderbury, and Hull Islands.
The treaty, ratified by the U.S. Senate and entering into force on September 23, 1983, dissolved the Canton and Enderbury Islands Condominium, which had existed under the Guano Islands Act. Combined with British cessation of claims, it resolved outstanding sovereignty disputes and established a formal framework for peaceful relations between the two nations.
Political Outcome
The United States acknowledged Kiribati sovereignty over fourteen Pacific islands; the Canton and Enderbury Islands Condominium was dissolved; the U.S. retained rights to maintain military bases on Canton, Enderbury, and Hull Islands.
Fourteen islands under U.S. jurisdiction; Canton and Enderbury jointly administered as a U.S.-British condominium
Full Kiribati sovereignty over fourteen islands; condominium dissolved